Getting a Security Clearance, anything I should know?

So, with the new job, I've got to get cleared as we do some contract work for the .mil, as I understand it. I was told yesterday that they're going to begin processing my clearance, and I know that a few arsians of standing have clearances, so I figured I'd see if anyone had any wisdom to share from the side of the table of the person getting cleared. I used to work for a guy who'd spend the better part of a decade working as an interviewer for clearances, so I've heard all the stupid stories and I understand the important stuff: don't lie about anything, no matter what, and so on. Just wanted to see if anyone else could refresh my memory or point me to resources so that I know what to expect. I have good credit and no outstanding warrants (that I'm aware of), and no qualms about my current or past circumstances, so I don't think it'll be a problem, but I figure it never hurts to be prepared.

After that, it's just a long list of paperwork. You have to get contact information for lots of people from your past, you have to remember or find out if anyone you associate with and is in a position of influence with you is a foreign national (which can get painful, if the answer is "Yes, lots of them").

There is some training (both initial and on-going) that is somewhat tedious, but once you start doing that stuff everyday (worry about who your FSO is and how you secure things if you leave the lab and so on), it all becomes second nature.

The other thing to remember is to make sure and tell them when anything your life changes. Going to marital counseling? Traffic tickets? Getting a divorce? Fighting with your neighbor about something? Reveal it all. Don't make any judgments yourself. Let them do that for you.

You'll be finger-printed. I was kind of surprised by that, at first. Then it made sense.

Start collecting 10 years worth of back history on employment, places you've lived and countries you've visited on travel (work or pleasure.)

You'll need dates, addresses, phone numbers and people who can vouch for your residence and employment.

Depending on your history, that might be trivial or it might be nightmarish. It's possible that you might not be able to get *every* single thing, but get as close to 100% of that information as possible. You'll have to explain any gaps in info.

Again, it's impossible to stress enough how critical it is to be honest. Some more serious stuff can be mitigated, if you disclose the situation and what the circumstances are.

Have a knowledgeable reviewer look over your paperwork. Some contracting companies kind of do a half-assed job on this. The FSO's probably too busy, but hopefully they have a competent staff that assists with this. Take your time and be precise.

The contracts you'll be entering into post-clearance are binding for life, not for duration of employment.

The paperwork also requires you to affirm that you do not advocate violent overthrow of the United States...

The only other thing I can think of based of the stories I have seen would be that if you have debts, especially ones that are or have been in default, you need to make sure you are pro-active about taking care of them. Ignoring them is a good way to get denied.

Don't lie about drug use. 75% of the people that I know who have clearances smoked pot in college. They don't care what you used to do as long as you're honest about it and don't do it anymore. I'm pretty sure that I put that I drank underage on mine, even. It's not about what you've done, it's about what information people can use to blackmail you.

The only other thing I can think of based of the stories I have seen would be that if you have debts, especially ones that are or have been in default, you need to make sure you are pro-active about taking care of them. Ignoring them is a good way to get denied.

Yep, I'd heard about these as well. Thankfully, won't be a problem for me.

BigM wrote:

Don't lie about drug use. 75% of the people that I know who have clearances smoked pot in college. They don't care what you used to do as long as you're honest about it and don't do it anymore. I'm pretty sure that I put that I drank underage on mine, even. It's not about what you've done, it's about what information people can use to blackmail you.

I've got a touch of underage drinking but no other drug use, so also not an issue.

Start collecting 10 years worth of back history on employment, places you've lived and countries you've visited on travel (work or pleasure.)

You'll need dates, addresses, phone numbers and people who can vouch for your residence and employment.

Quick question on this, and you might not be able to answer: my employment history is pretty straightforward, and shouldn't be too difficult to clarify, but I've got a couple big box retailers (Hobby Lobby, Best Buy) in the past ten years and I wouldn't know who the correct contacts would be. Will big box stores like that have a standard HR contact for clearances like this, or will I need to dig out a contact at the stores I worked at?

Nevarre wrote:

The paperwork also requires you to affirm that you do not advocate violent overthrow of the United States...

So, with the new job, I've got to get cleared as we do some contract work for the .mil, as I understand it. I was told yesterday that they're going to begin processing my clearance, and I know that a few arsians of standing have clearances, so I figured I'd see if anyone had any wisdom to share from the side of the table of the person getting cleared. I used to work for a guy who'd spend the better part of a decade working as an interviewer for clearances, so I've heard all the stupid stories and I understand the important stuff: don't lie about anything, no matter what, and so on. Just wanted to see if anyone else could refresh my memory or point me to resources so that I know what to expect. I have good credit and no outstanding warrants (that I'm aware of), and no qualms about my current or past circumstances, so I don't think it'll be a problem, but I figure it never hurts to be prepared.

The timeline to final adjudication depends on the type of clearance you are being processed for. In some cases, the interim clearance for Confidential and Secret could take a matter of a couple of weeks to several months for the final decision. Top Secret can take quite a bit longer as the investigation is quite in depth.

Quick question on this, and you might not be able to answer: my employment history is pretty straightforward, and shouldn't be too difficult to clarify, but I've got a couple big box retailers (Hobby Lobby, Best Buy) in the past ten years and I wouldn't know who the correct contacts would be. Will big box stores like that have a standard HR contact for clearances like this, or will I need to dig out a contact at the stores I worked at?

Ideally you want a former co-worker or former supervisor, but HR ought to do in a pinch. There should be some regional or national HR for those companies.

For some interesting details about people who have contested their security clearance decisions, see this site. After you read a bunch of them, you realize that the investigations really aren't looking for that many different types of red flags.

Fujimaro wrote:

In some cases, the interim clearance for Confidential and Secret could take a matter of a couple of weeks to several months for the final decision. Top Secret can take quite a bit longer as the investigation is quite in depth.

I have seen interim Secret turned around in 24 hours, though it is usually more like 2 weeks; TS will of course take longer, and the time to process depends a lot on your sponsoring agency. As I understand it, the interim isn't much more than a standard background check (criminal background, credit history) along with a couple of quick checks on your SF-86.

Start collecting 10 years worth of back history on employment, places you've lived and countries you've visited on travel (work or pleasure.)

You'll need dates, addresses, phone numbers and people who can vouch for your residence and employment.

once you get this information, organize it in the way the clearance form is organized. Use a paper copy of the clearance form to do this, even if they are having you use a software program to enter the data.

keep this hardcopy organized info in a safe place..... keep more than one copy.

I just did the periodic reinvestigation for my clearance, and I have to say that one major positive change in the process is that they now store your information, making it less necessary to re-dig for all of the info each time. Logging in and realizing that I just had to fill in the gaps between the last time and now really saved time and headache over the first time I did it back in 2002. Get a copy of your credit report now. As indicated, financial stuff is a big deal. When I did my re-investigation last time, I pulled my report and found an error (an old cell phone provider added a debt to the report with no warning). I was able to dispute and have it removed before it became an issue for the clearance itself.

You do get to print the final form (SF86) so keep that for your records.

Definitely do this. It's a valuable collection of information.

Not that this is likely to happen to you, but when being investigated, one my coworkers had his investigator 'hit the wrong button' and delete his information, making him suffer through the whole e-QIP again. Luckily he had printed out everything.

I just did the periodic reinvestigation for my clearance, and I have to say that one major positive change in the process is that they now store your information, making it less necessary to re-dig for all of the info each time. Logging in and realizing that I just had to fill in the gaps between the last time and now really saved time and headache over the first time I did it back in 2002. Get a copy of your credit report now. As indicated, financial stuff is a big deal. When I did my re-investigation last time, I pulled my report and found an error (an old cell phone provider added a debt to the report with no warning). I was able to dispute and have it removed before it became an issue for the clearance itself.

Thanks for the hint. Ran my credit reports, no negatives on 2, one negative on one, which was a delinquent payment on one account of 28 (mostly student loans) in 2010 -- that bill simply slipped through the cracks that month, and we haven't had any problems since, so I don't think it will be an issue. Still a good thing to check, and I appreciate the heads up.

The Judge made a sustainable conclusion that Applicant essentially walked away from a significant financial obligation when he had the means to satisfy the debt, and this evidenced unreliability and lack of trustworthiness. Adverse decision affirmed.

It took me 6 months to get my Secret finalized which was the going timeframe last year I understand. It took 2.5 months for my TS to finalize because it was done back-to-back so the investigators did not need to redo the basic background checks done in the Secret investigation. I was only interviewed in person for the TS portion as I was overseas.

I have lived outside of the US for approximately 4 years so "current" contacts was a PITA because they don't like running people down outside of the US and it likely caused part of the slowdown. They interviewed a dozen people that they could actually get hold of in the US. They then pushed those people for names of more people they could contact and went 3 deep that way trying to get interviews about me. They also contacted/attempted to contact my old managers; ALL OF THEM in the past 10 years. I kid you not they chased people down across states if they had moved. They were tenacious. In addition they pulled the usual background check for credit and all 50 states. They also ran down some of my old landlords to talk to since I couldn't provide neighbors.

Prepare a list of at least 5 (preferably 10 so you have backups) of friends/coworkers they can talk to. Prepare a list of all addresses and jobs for the past 10 years (be safe and go back 12) even if it was for just one day to provide to them. Explain ALL gaps in employment and how you paid your bills during the gaps (savings, loans, family, etc). If you have foreign contacts then list them. They don't care about people you met once at a party and "friended" on FB. They care about people you have an ongoing or had an ongoing relationship with like IRL friends, lovers and professional contacts, not acquaintances. If you were ever caught for something admit to it now per the eQip question (in last 7 years, etc). If you ever used drugs that were illegal admit to it. The point of the investigation is to know if you have anything to hide that could be used to coerce you into giving up secrets. They don't care that you smoked dope 5 years ago and not ever since. They don't care that you went to house parties in college and floated a keg. They care if someone potentially has evidence and blackmails you or if you have a substance problem that could come back.

When it comes to employment tell them the name of your supervisors and any contact info you have for them. If you don't have contact info then provide the company's HR info and they will chase them down. Prepare your personal contacts now to possibly be interviewed. Get their info and let them know to contact you if they hear from anyone. Tell them to be honest as well and follow up with them after they get interviewed.

Most importantly read the eQuip questions and then reread it. Answer fully but you don't need to segue. Answer the question fully, but don't write a novel. If it says only in the past 10 years then put that down. If it says "have you EVER" then that means for life. You will be questioned on this later if you get selected to interview.

eQuip lets you keep a copy of the file you put forward. Make sure to keep a copy. You will need it for your records for the interview and also if you have to do a reinvestigation in 5 or 10 years. When the clearance is finalized and you are approved or denied you can request a full copy of the government report. Search online and you will find the instructions but basically you mail a letter for a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request. My report was 190 pages double-sided and included information I was not aware of and some of it was false. It was interesting reading.

When the clearance is finalized and you are approved or denied you can request a full copy of the government report. Search online and you will find the instructions but basically you mail a letter for a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request. My report was 190 pages double-sided and included information I was not aware of and some of it was false. It was interesting reading.

When the clearance is finalized and you are approved or denied you can request a full copy of the government report. Search online and you will find the instructions but basically you mail a letter for a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request. My report was 190 pages double-sided and included information I was not aware of and some of it was false. It was interesting reading.

1) Be excessively honest - if there's a question whether you should report something, report it.

2) Continue to update information as your life changes.

3) Once it's granted, pay attention to the training and rules. Take it seriously. Often, the little things are the ones that trip you up.

4) While the investigation takes place, prepare to hear from people you've not talked with in a very long time. In my experience, DSS reaches out to the people you list and asks them who you know. They then go to those people to find out about you, they don't really care what the people you list say. This resulted in some interesting emails and calls from people like former clients, ex-girlfriends and even a preacher at a church where I sometimes helped mixed broadcast audio.

Otherwise, make sure you stay on top of the paperwork. We've had people get dinged because they had 10 days to fill out the eQIP and took 11. Or they filled it out, but didn't get fingerprints sent in in 2 weeks. Or it said "We'll call you for the next step" and, in spite of never being called, THEY get dinged for not calling their FSO to see what the next step is. Agencies get pissy about that, even when they are at fault instead of you. So follow up. Constantly. You cannot be too annoying to them.

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It took me 6 months to get my Secret finalized which was the going timeframe last year I understand.

It will take longer - between sequestration and some OMB stuff going on, most agencies have clearances on freeze. However, you can still get your temporary waiver. Which, like in most places, has no expiration date.

3) Once it's granted, pay attention to the training and rules. Take it seriously. Often, the little things are the ones that trip you up.

I cannot stress this enough. If you don't get training after you get your clearance, ask for it. Government contractors are notoriously bad about training their employees. Some people get a multi-day training course on how ot protect sensitive information. Others just get an e-mail saying, "You got a clearance. Now get to work." If you're in the latter group, ask your supervisor for training. At the very least, your company should have a manual or CBT that teaches you the basics.

There are a lot of rules about managing your clearance, and not all of them are obvious. Don't be one of the people who gets fired because you broke a security rule you didn't even know about. Worse, don't be one of the people that actually causes damage because you accidentally made sensitive info available.

There are a lot of rules about managing your clearance, and not all of them are obvious. Don't be one of the people who gets fired because you broke a security rule you didn't even know about. Worse, don't be one of the people that actually causes damage because you accidentally made sensitive info available.

Don't livetweet it when you get your clearance with a joke that this could be yours for $$$, for instance

Applicant possessed and used illegal drugs from about 2005 to about May 2011, and then he falsely denied this conduct when completing his Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIPs). Shortly after completing his e-QIPs, he volunteered to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) manager that he used and possessed illegal drugs. His 2012 driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) charge was not substantiated. Drug involvement concerns are mitigated by the passage of time, and personal conduct concerns are mitigated because Applicant made prompt, good-faith efforts to correct the falsification before being confronted with the facts and under the whole-person concept. Eligibility for access to classified information is granted. CASE NO: 12-04336.h1

Moral of the story: If you miss something on your e-QIP, volunteer it to your investigator.

The Judge made a sustainable conclusion that Applicant essentially walked away from a significant financial obligation when he had the means to satisfy the debt, and this evidenced unreliability and lack of trustworthiness. Adverse decision affirmed.

I'm going to be reading these all day now.

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Applicant failed to mitigate the criminal conduct and alcohol consumption concerns raised by his 19-year criminal history punctuated by five domestic violence arrests and five arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. Clearance denied. CASE NO. 11-07475.h1

If you can afford to do so, hire a lawyer to handle the paperwork. Very limited experience here, but two of my friends do have clearance and found the paperwork and historical digging incredibly cumbersome and the $2k-3k to the lawyer was well worth it.

If you can afford to do so, hire a lawyer to handle the paperwork. Very limited experience here, but two of my friends do have clearance and found the paperwork and historical digging incredibly cumbersome and the $2k-3k to the lawyer was well worth it.

Uh, what? It took me maybe an hour to dig up all that stuff. Unless you've had 20 jobs in 7 years and lived in as many places, paying $2k to someone else to fill out paperwork seems absurd. Especially with eQIP - which may make it improper to have someone else do it, since you would have to give them your credentials, which suggests you should not get a clearance. I suspect there was something *on* the paperwork that required legal assistance to make that worthwhile.

All good info here. The only thing I'll add in that polys aren't that bad, for most people. It did however take me four tries to pass my last one. I do need to give a shout out to Sure anti-perspirant though - that shit got me through some awful flop sweat.

I suspect there was something *on* the paperwork that required legal assistance to make that worthwhile.

Yeah, it was this:

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Unless you've had 20 jobs in 7 years and lived in as many places

Both are IT engineers with a lot of contract work, a lot of moving around, etc.

Entirely fair response, however. My limited experience only applies to the two in question with those specific circumstances. I would wind up doing the same due to a number of jobs in a number of states having moved frequently.

Everyone covered it... don't lie is the only real rule. They have adjudicated an enormous amount of negative stuff for people, but lying will get you denied almost 100% of the time. As my investigator for my first (TS) clearance said: "I don't care if you have 5 dead hookers buried in your back yard, I just want to know where exactly to dig."

Even if they don't find out you lied on your initial application, it's possible that sometime down the road you may want a CI or FS poly for another position, and you won't be able to apply for it because you know you can't pass the poly.

The Judge made a sustainable conclusion that Applicant essentially walked away from a significant financial obligation when he had the means to satisfy the debt, and this evidenced unreliability and lack of trustworthiness. Adverse decision affirmed.

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02/28/2013

Fifty-one-year-old Applicant experienced severe financial problems commencing in 2007, when the local real estate market deteriorated as the economy collapsed. His annual income of between $65,000 and $70,000, based primarily on commissions, bonuses, and transaction fees, plummeted to between $25,000 and $30,000, and remained there until 2010. He was unable to maintain his monthly account payments, and accounts became delinquent, placed for collection, or charged off. Applicant sought the assistance of both a financial attorney and a debt reduction advisor. He prioritized his accounts and contacted his creditors and collection agents. Applicant has resolved all but two of the SOR accounts, and is prepared to resolve those two accounts as well. Applicant’s actions under the circumstances confronting him do not cast doubt on his current reliability, trustworthiness, or good judgment.There are no questions or doubts as to his security eligibility and suitability. Clearance is granted. CASE NO: 11-08484.h1